Radio Okapi”/>
Since July 2024, the Beni General Reference Hospital in North Kivu has been offering all maternity-related care free of charge. The care is comprehensive: from pregnancy monitoring to the first months of the newborn.
Dr. Jérémie Muhindo, medical director of this medical structure, specifies that in addition to free childbirth, certain primary health care is also offered free of charge in targeted health areas:
“Since July, we have started providing free delivery services. Women who arrive, whether in health centres or here at the general reference hospital, give birth free of charge. Whether they give birth vaginally or by caesarean section, in any case, everything is free. Some health areas also benefit from free health care, but this is not the case for the entire area,” confirmed Dr. Jérémie Muhindo.
Women, the main beneficiaries of this government project, are delighted with this good news.
Charlie Masika, a woman who gave birth to a boy, testifies to the effectiveness of this measure, while expressing her satisfaction with the care:
“I gave birth to a boy and I was well received. I gave birth by caesarean section and received excellent care. Nothing was asked of us: no prescriptions, no bills. We were informed that the Government takes care of everything. In terms of medication and beds, we were well looked after by the healthcare staff with constant monitoring of the children, without a doubt.”.
Several health structures in the Beni health zone have already integrated this free maternity project, announced by the Congolese Government in March 2023. These include general hospitals and reference health centers.
